Gampaha District
district of Sri Lanka
Gampaha District (Sinhala: ගම්පහ දිස්ත්රික්කය gampaha distrikkaya, Tamil: கம்பஹா மாவட்டம் Kampakai Māvaṭṭam) is one of the 25 districts of Sri Lanka, the second level administrative division of the country. It is the most populous district of Sri Lanka. The district is administered by a District Secretariat headed by a District Secretary (previously known as a Government Agent) appointed by the central government of Sri Lanka. The capital of the district is the town of Gampaha. The district was carved out of the northern part of Colombo District in September 1978.
Geographical Nature
Gampaha District is located in the west of Sri Lanka and has an area of 1,387 square kilometres (536 sq mi). It is bounded by Kurunegala and Puttalam districts from north, Kegalle District from east, Colombo District from south and by the Indian Ocean from west. The borders of the district are the Ma Oya on the north, Kelani River on the south and 1,000 ft contour line on the east.
Administrative units
Gampaha District is divided into 13 Divisional Secretary's Division (DS Divisions), each headed by a Divisional Secretary (previously known as an Assistant Government Agent). The DS Divisions are further sub-divided into 1,177 Grama Niladhari Divisions (GN Divisions).
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Gampaha District” as district of Sri Lanka. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the places & architecture register because the source frames it as district of Sri Lanka. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 20, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q206344. Authority coordinates are 7.133, 80.000. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1978.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Gampaha District”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Gampaha District primary sources, Gampaha District archive and Gampaha research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Gampaha District”?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Gampaha District” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.